The Tropics foods story wasn’t always as exotic in its humble beginnings. Our father A. Aziz was a teenager originally from Azad Kashmir in the city of Mirpur. After migrating in 1952 over 20 miles further down in the city of Jhelum in Pakistan, a decade later he set sail for his new adopted motherland of the United Kingdom in the year 1962.
The job he landed was in a steel mill standing near a hot furnace, progressing onto other post 1960’s jobs where man not machine was the driving force for business. Without much experience or choice he stood firm in his ambition of making a life for himself in the UK working very hard, often working over-time without a single day off.
By 1965 being married and settling down to his new home life he left his job at the steel mills and pursued his passion to run his own business which was a small shop in the city of Leeds. The shop opened in 1968 and was regarded as the first Afro Caribbean Shop in the city catering for West Indians, Jamaicans and people of African origin. The shop became an instant success partly due to Mr. Aziz’s and Mrs Aziz’s mild mannered attitude towards their customers and always insisting quality products that his customers would only typically find in the home countries.
In time, the helm was given to the four children who began expanding the business, locating larger premises and searching worldwide for produce that customers could only dream of buying in their home countries at a fantastic price. By the late 90’s manufacturing was a natural route following their fathers footsteps and Tropics Foods Ltd was born. By early 2000’s the Tropics brand grew from strength to strength, bringing us to the present day where it supplies Tesco, Asda, and Waitrose – three of the biggest supermarkets in the UK.
